A Simple Change
by Alkenet
Summary: Everyone's lives are the same. The only thing that makes them different are simple changes. Contains OC's and no OC romances. DISCONTINUED
1. And so it begins

A Simple Change

Author's Note: This is just what I would think would happen if Kratos didn't find Artemis. If you don't know who that is, just read my other story, Spread Your Wings, or maybe Memories.

"…"-talking

'…'_-thinking_

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

"_What's wrong Lilith?"_

"_The scent of an ominous rain is in the air, I'm not sure what's going to happen, but it's definitely something bad…"_

**At the bottom of a cliff**

"Grr…that idiot…," grumbled Lilith as she watched Advent heal an unconscious Artemis. The two spirits were at the bottom of a cliff surrounded by a blood soaked ground. A few minutes ago the area was littered with desian corpses, but Lilith quickly took care of that.

"Lilith, don't call him that." Advent scolded.

"But he should've heard her crying!"

"Maybe he wasn't focusing on sound," Advent theorized, "Kratos was probably focusing on finding their bodies."

"I still say he's an idiot." Lilith folded her arms across her chest.

Advent sighed, "Lilith, just drop it. Right now we have to find a way to take care of Artemis."

"Okay." Lilith nodded, "…Do you think we should give her a different last name?"

"I suppose that's a good idea. If Kratos ever came here, it's likely he'll be watched by someone from Cruxis. And if someone has the same last name as him, it'll cause unwanted trouble."

"Yeah, Aurion isn't a common name…but what should we give her?" Lilith asked, "We don't have last names."

"Maybe we could use our first names?"

"Hmmm, Artemis Advent, Artemis Lilith, nah too weird. What about Cressen?"

"Isn't that Lloyd's middle name?"

"Well then Mr. High and Mighty, why don't you think of something?"

"I was thinking Era. Artemis Era. It has a nice sound to it."

"Hm…yeah! From this day forward, Artemis shall be known as Artemis Aeterna Era."

"At least until Kratos finds her right?"

"I was going to say that. Don't interrupt me!" Lilith's tone was slightly scolding.

"Whatever you say Lilith."

"Ngh…"

"Ah, she's waking up." said Advent.

"Hm? W-where's Daddy?" Artemis asked, her eyes were tearing up, and if one looked closer, they would see that one of her eyes was clouded.

"Artemis-" Advent gently placed his hands on Artemis's shoulder to try and calm her and to examine her eye.

Artemis flinched and faced Advent, "Who are you?"

"My name is Advent, I'm a good friend of your parents."

"D-do you know where Daddy is?" Tears were falling in heavy streams down Artemis blood streaked cheeks.

"I'm sorry but I don't." Advent wiped her cheeks.

"B-But Daddy will be sad! He doesn't have anyone else!"

"Hm? Artemis, did you see what happened to your mother?"

"Daddy had to kill Mommy because she asked him to. Daddy really loved Mommy! Since Big brother and Mommy fell, Daddy needs someone to be there to help him!" Artemis's tears had begun anew.

"Shh, it's okay Artemis. He'll be fine." said Advent as he hugged the young toddler, _'I hope.'_

"Yeah," Lilith piped up, "Your old man's strong, he'll be fine."

Artemis sniffled, "Okay…"

"Artemis?" Advent asked

"?"

"Would you like to stay with us? I know you want to be with your parents, but we don't know where your father is right now."

"Stay with you?"

"If you don't mind, of course."

"…I'll stay."

"Aw sweet!" Lilith pumped up her fist, "Finally, another girl to hang out with!"

"I'm not letting you corrupt her innocent mind Lilith."

"Innocent?! Hello! She saw desians get butchered, spewing blood, and her dad killing her mom. Her mind's not exactly innocent anymore."

"Lilith you're scaring her."

Lilith looked at Artemis's shivering form in Advent's arms, her eyes once again tearing up.

"Ah! Uh, um, I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to scare you. I-I just wanted to make a point to Advent. Hey! I didn't introduce myself have I? I'm the Amazing ex-demon, Lilith."

"You're still a demon; you only left the Underworld." Advent corrected.

"…shu-uh, be quiet you old geezer…" said Lilith, trying to hold back on her cursing/swearing while Artemis was there.

"Artemis," started Advent.

Said girl looked up

"I know this is sudden but you'll have to change your last name."

"Why?"

"Well, if those bad people that hurt your family came here, they'll know you're Kratos's daughter and try to hurt you."

"Then what will my new name be?"

"You can keep your first and middle name kid," Lilith stated, "Your new surname is Era."

"Era?"

"Yep. Artemis Aeterna Era. Sounds good right?"

"Mmhm." Artemis nodded then she yawned.

"Tired huh?" Lilith asked, "Sleep on Advent's shoulder. Much more comfortable than mine."

And Artemis did just that.

"We don't have a place for her to stay in." said Advent.

"Hey, with our awesome powers, we'll be able to build a house in no time!"

"Then you work on it. I'm not going to be the only one who does things around here."

Lilith huffed, "Fine. But we're both going to tuck her in."

"Alright."

"Okay, here we g-,"

"Wait Lilith."

"What?! I was going to use my l33t skills!"

"…Okay 1) don't talk like that. 2) Maybe we should build a house closer to a village or town. That way, it'll be easy for us to get supplies."

"Well, I heard that there's a dwarf living in the forest somewhere, it's not a town but at least it's something right?"

"I guess."

"Okay! Time to go chop down some trees and make a nice homey house."

"You're so eccentric Lilith."

"Thanks!"

"…Sure, we can pretend that was a compliment…"

**End Chapter 1**

Author's Note: There it is! Now If I continue this, the title will make more sense. But I'm not sure if I should.


	2. Family

Author's note: Writing with Lilith and Advent is fun.

"…"-talking

'…'_-thinking_

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

"_Have you ever thought of having kids Addy?"_

"_No, and it's Advent, Lilith."_

"_Hm, I think it'd be nice to have someone to take care of."_

**In the forest**

"…Wow." said Advent as he stared at the new two-story house.

"See." Lilith smirked, "I told you we could build a house in no time! ...Well if we don't include the time it took for me to get the wood."

"I think we're forgetting something Lilith."

"What?"

"Furniture."

"Oh yeah…" Lilith looked thoughtful for a moment, "Give me a sec." She ran off to get more wood.

"Hm?" Advent tilted his head to the side.

"Here we go!" Lilith came running back somehow carrying all the pieces of furniture found in a home, minus the machines.

"How…are you doing that?"

Lilith shrugged, "Powers."

Advent shook his head, "Let's just get all that stuff inside."

After furnishing the home, Lilith collapsed on the couch, "Oh man that took forever!"

"Only because you kept complaining and because I had to carry Artemis."

"Then that means I carried more stuff than you huh?"

"And that matters why…?"

"It means I'm getting stronger! Hells yeah!" Lilith jumped off the couch, fatigue completely forgotten.

Advent sighed, "Whatever, I'm going to check on Artemis." He went upstairs.

"You're such a good daddy…does that mean, I'm a mom? Nooo! I'm too young to be a mommy!" Lilith shouted dramatically.

"Lilith, you're over a thousand years old, that's not young at all!" Advent yelled as he came down.

"Eh? You're back already?" Lilith asked, "And for your information, demons live for a very, VERY long time. I'm practically a kid compared to my old man."

"I thought you didn't like talking about your family?"

"…you know what? Shut up." Lilith pouted, and then she perked up, "Say, can I stay in the same room with Artemis?"

"We have more than enough rooms for us Lilith, why do you want to stay in hers? And why do you keep changing the subject?"

"Just in case she wakes up in the middle of the night crying her cute, little eyes out and because it's fun."

"I feel am incoming headache."

-tp-tp-tp-**CRASH**-…-tp-tp-

Artemis fell down the stairs.

"Artemis! What are you doing up?" Advent ran over to check on her wounds.

"I wasn't as tired as I thought." She stood up, "And I was bored."

"Well, would you look at that? We barely spent time with each other and she's already acting like me." Lilith began to tear up, "I'm so proud."

"Oh hush Lilith." Advent scolded without turning to look at his demonic companion, "Are you sure your okay Artemis? That crash sounded painful."

"I'm okay." At that moment Artemis's stomach growled. "…" she held her stomach, "I'm hungry."

"She's blunt too." Lilith sat up, "You know Advent, either way, Arty's gonna act like me whether you like it or not." She smirked.

"Ugh, two Lilith's…some one kill me now…"

"Oh you know you love me." Lilith hugged Advent from behind.

"Let go Lilith, I have to go…make…lunch…" Advent trailed.

"What's wrong?"

"We have no food."

"…Ooh, that's gonna be a problem. Advent, go get some food," Lilith ordered.

"Excuse me? I'm not yours to be ordering around."

"The longer we argue, the hungrier Arty gets."

Advent rubbed his temples, "Fine, I'm going. Just make sure Artemis is safe." And he left.

"So Art, what do you want to do?" Lilith asked.

"I don't know." Artemis said, "But do you know where Mommy, Daddy and Big brother are?"

'_Hm? Does she not remember? It'd be cruel to tell her but…'_ Lilith rubbed Artemis's head, "Sorry kid, I don't know where they are."

"Oh…okay." Artemis looked down.

"C'mon, I'm sure we could find something to do until Addy comes back."

"Addy?"

"Advent. He doesn't like the nicknames. But I do it anyway."

"Why?"

"'Cause its fun making him angry." Lilith picked up Artemis and placed her on her lap, "He needs to loosen up every now and then. And poking fun at him with those names kinda helps him."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and since he's the spirit of time, he has to be serious about a lot of stuff, so I just want him to loosen up and have fun."

Artemis looked up at Lilith and asked, "Miss Lilith?"

"What is it?"

"Why do you care so much about Mr. Advent?"

"Hm? Well…he's my partner, my teacher, and my friend." Lilith pointed out, "Would you want a friend to be serious and broody all the time?"

"I wouldn't know. I don't have any friends, well other than big brother."

'_Hm, poor kid.'_

* * *

Advent was walking through the forest, "Let's see, Lilith and I have our spirit duties to do and they take up a lot of our time so how are we going to take care of her? If there is a village near here, I guess we could enroll her in the school, if they have one. But then she might need-"

"Oh? I've never seen anyone like you around here."

"Hm?" Advent looked up to find a dwarf lugging a large cart of logs, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude."

"Ah, don't worry about it. But I'd like to know something."

"And that is…?"

"Why you're out here in the forest. Most people stay within the area of Iselia."

'_We're near Iselia?'_ Advent thought to himself, "My, ah, family and I live here."

"Really? I haven't seen anyone else here save for a few travelers."

"We try to keep our location a secret." Advent lied, _'Well, it's the half truth.'_

"I see. Are ya heading towards Iselia?"

"Uh, yes, I was going to get some groceries."

"I see." The dwarf nodded, "Ah I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Dirk, a blacksmith." He held out his hand.

"My name's Advent, I'm uh, a mercenary." Advent shook Dirk's hand. "I'll be on my way. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, sorry to get in your way." And the dwarf turned to leave.

"Ah, w-wait!"

"Yes?"

"Um, Iselia has a school right?"

Dirk nodded, "That it does lad."

"I see…"

"Planning on enrolling your child there?"

"Ch-child? O-oh, no!" Advent stammered, "She's my niece."

"I see. Well ya better get 'em ready," Dirk advised, "school's not going ta be easy for 'em, the teacher's a little harsh."

"Th-thank you, I'll keep that in mind," Advent bowed and he continued on to Iselia.

**End Chapter 2**

* * *

Author's Note: Please review!


	3. A New Hiding Spot

Author's Note: Uh…I don't really know what to say.

"talking"

'_thinking'_

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia.

* * *

"_GAAH!"_

"_Please don't struggle dear sister, it'll only make this more painful."_

"_WHY THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"_

"_So that you remember who holds more power over you."_

"_You bastard..."_

**

* * *

**

**Iselia, Village f Oracles**

'_Hm, Iselia, it's been a long time since I came here,'_ Advent thought as he walked through the peaceful village. The adults were cheerfully chatting away while the children were running around and playing. Ah, childhood innocence. Advent had walked into a shop, and before anyone asks, Advent changed his sea green hair to a chestnut brown to avoid being suspected as a half-elf or elf. He walked around looking for healthy foods for a growing child and school supplies. When he finished he went up to the register and left for home. Advent sighed contentedly, "Ah, Iselia's such a nice place, the villagers are polite and carefree…then again, it's probably because or their non-aggression treaty." When Advent got home he said, "I'm back."

"Uncle Advent!" Artemis ran to hug her 'uncle'.

Advent put down the grocery bags before picking up the young girl, "Uncle?"

"Yep, cute huh?" Lilith said as she walked over, "I've been teaching her to call you that, and to call me Auntie Lilith."

"I see, but how did you know we were going to have to act as her aunt and uncle?" Advent asked as he balanced Artemis in one hand and put away the food with the other.

"I dunno, how _did_ I know?" Lilith wondered.

"Uncle Advent?" Artemis asked.

"Hm? What is it?"

"I'm sleepy."

"Oh, hey Lilith," Advent called.

"'sup?" Lilith looked up.

"Can you tuck her in? I need to put away some other stuff."

"Sure," Lilith got up, "Come on sweetie, its nighty-night time!" Lilith carried Artemis upstairs.

Advent sighed, "How are we going to raise her if Lilith and I have to be away constantly?" Advent held his chin, "Maybe we need to teach her how to take care of herself? No, that probably won't go too well, she's too young, I suppose I could let Lilith take a few years off from her training to help Artemis but…" Advent mumbled.

"Are you becoming a worried mother?" Lilith teased when she came down.

"No," Advent grumbled.

"Thinking about how to raise little Arty?"

"…"

"This is probably how every parent feels about their children.

"But Artemis isn't our child Lilith," Advent paced, "She's a daughter of a Seraphim, practically the right hand man of the Cruxis Leader."

"So?" Lilith shrugged, "It doesn't matter, Arty is Arty no matter how you look at it, and she'll always be the Arty we know and love."

"Now _you're_ the one acting like a doting mother."

"Kids do that to you," Lilith stretched her arms and yawned, "Man, I'm exhausted, playing around with the kid really tires you out."

"You know, she never did eat anything," Advent looked at the cabinets.

"…You don't think…" Lilith glanced at the summon spirit.

Advent shook his head, "No, the angel blood shouldn't be manifesting itself this quickly. And did you notice her eye Lilith?"

"Yeah, poor kid, no wonder she's a little clumsy. She probably hurt her eye when she fell off the cliff."

"We might need to cover that or else she'll be the talk of the town, Iselia's villagers can be very gossipy."

Lilith sighed, "Yeesh, so much trouble, I can't imagine how hard it was for Kratty and Annie to raise the two mischief makers."

"They weren't troublemakers."

"And you're the one that's supposed to watch over their family? What kind of guardian are you?"

"I'm not a guardian, I'm a summon spirit," Advent corrected.

"But didn't the spirit of the tree entrust you to watch over the family?" Lilith asked, "And look what happened."

"Well thank you for rubbing it in, I suppose I shouldn't give you a few years off to raise Artemis," Advent stated.

"What was that?" Lilith's eyes lit up, "A few years off from spirit training?"

"I can't stay here any longer or else things in time and space might get screwed up, so I thought that maybe you could raise her to be a polite, respectful young woman."

"Okay, I take back what I said earlier!" Lilith exclaimed.

Advent nodded, "Good, and raise her correctly, no swear words, strange talk, or letting her wear anything revealing."

"…You do know who you're talking to right?" Lilith stared at Advent.

"Yes, and if you raise her to be like you, I'll take away your broadsword," Advent threatened.

"You wouldn't."

"I would, and I will if you don't listen to me."

"Fine, you got yourself a deal, Advent."

"Good, now I really have to leave, I've been here a lot longer than I expected, if Artemis wonders where I am-"

"Make an excuse, I know," Lilith cut Advent off.

"Thank you, remember to get her ready for the new school term, and," Advent said, "this house might make a good hiding place from _him_."

Lilith eyes widened, "Were you planning on…"

Advent nodded, a small smile on his face.

"Heh, you're an awesome teacher Advent."

"I hardly deserve such praise, but thank you," Advent teleported away.

"Heh, hahaha, man, that guy thinks of almost everything," Lilith laughed, "I really hope this place is a good hiding spot, I'm not strong enough to fight that bastard yet." Lilith stretched and yawned, "Well, time to get some shut eye." She walked upstairs to her room fell flat on her bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

**End Chapter 3**

* * *

Alkenet: Hm, still no reviews, oh well.

Lilith: You aren't sad? Like, at all?

Alkenet: Should I be?

Lilith: Did you just get past your "emo" phase?

Advent: I believe she did.

Lilith: OMG! Addy! –glomp-

Alkenet: Get a room you two.

Advent and Lilith: We don't like each other that way!

Alkenet: Please review.


	4. Blind

Author's Note: Don't have much to say. Sorry.

"talking"

'_thinking'_

* * *

"_Have you ever thought of your family Arty?"_

"_Sometimes, but I try not to."_

"_Why not?"_

"…_It's no use trying to find memories you've lost."_

**

* * *

**

**Time Skip**

For the next 2 years Advent and Lilith took care of Artemis as if she was their own daughter. They furnished the house and kept it clean and well cared for. Artemis was still a little clumsy from only being able to see through her right eye, but she managed. She just needed to be more careful when going down the stairs. And Advent, being the busy-body spirit that he is, had to leave the little family frequently to check on the time space continuum or whatever, making Lilith take care of Artemis.

_**Early Morning**_

"Haaaah…" Lilith sighed as she stretched her arms, "Man, I haven't slept like that in a _long _time," Lilith rubbed her eyes, "What time's it?" She looked outside to see a gray sky, "Holy crap…it's early," Lilith scratched her back, "What do I have to do today?" Lilith wondered as she walked downstairs, "Need to make breakfast, clean up the place, buy more clothespins, get some twine or rope to hang the clothes, need to get some seeds for the garden, and what else………OH SNAP! I almost forgot! I gotta get Arty ready for school! AAAH! I need to get school supplies and-" It was then Lilith saw a note on the table,

_Lilith,_

_Don't worry about the school supplies; I already bought some the other day. And remember to take Artemis to Iselia and register her into the class, and make sure to feed her and pack her a healthy and nutritious lunch. I got a lunch box for Artemis' lunches while you were still asleep, so don't worry about anything for now._

_Advent_

"That guy _does_ think of everything…" Lilith was slightly freaked out, and then she shook her head, "Gotta make breakfast and pack a lunch." Lilith turned on the stove and lubed the pan for pancakes, then she made the batter and poured some in the pan and while they were cooking she took an apple, some peanut butter and sliced bread out and checked on the pancakes and flipped them over and after a while, Lilith had a two stacks of pancakes, a tall one for herself and a smaller one for Artemis. Then she took out a paper bag and placed the apple, the finished sandwich and a juice box inside. Lilith stood back and marveled at her work, "I'm going to be the most awesome mom ever."

A soft _pitter patter _sound came from the stairs, and then a chain of muffled thumps and finally finishing with a large crash; Artemis had woken up, "Good morning Aunt Lilith," she said as she came down wearing a black shirt, grey shorts, black sandals (1), and a large throbbing bump on her head.

"Morning Arty, did you remember to brush your teeth?" Lilith asked while gently rubbing the bump.

"…" Artemis blinked, ran upstairs and the faucet turned on.

"Hehe, she's so cute."

After a short while Artemis came running back down the stairs.

"Good girl," Lilith patted the girl's head, "Now it's time for breakfast!" Lilith place Artemis on a chair and got out some syrup, "Here you go sweetie," Lilith poured a moderate amount of syrup on Artemis's pancake stack and a large amount on her own. The two bowed their heads.

"Thank you for the meal," and they began eating.

**About half and hour later**

"Geez Arty, you sure wake up early," Lilith said while she was washing the dishes, "We still have a few hours before school starts."

"Aunt Lilith?" Arty asked.

"Yeah?"

"How come Uncle Advent isn't here?"

"Well, he's really busy right now, you know his job takes him everywhere." Lilith explained, _'Yeah, that's good, let's go with that.'_

"I miss him."

Lilith sighed, "I do too Art, I do too," Lilith dried her hands and stroked Artemis's hair. "But, let's forget about that for now, it's time to get you ready for school."

"I'm scared Aunt Lilith," Artemis was tugging the hem of her shirt.

"Why?" Lilith picked up Artemis and placed the young girl on her lap.

"What if they make fun of me or don't like me?"

"Oh come on Arty, you're a lovable little girl, I'd want to be friends with you."

"Will you be there?" Artemis looked hopeful.

"No, I'm sorry, I'm going to be really busy today, but I'll be waiting outside the school when the day's over to pick you up."

"…I guess that's better than nothing."

"That's the spirit!"Lilith shouted, "All right time to get to school!"

**At the school**

"Hello? Anyone here?" Lilith asked as she reached the school house.

"Yes?" A woman with silver-white hair walked up to the ex-demon.

"Uh, is the teacher here?" Lilith asked.

"I am her. My name is Raine Sage," Raine held out her hand.

"Oh, my name's Lilith…Era," she shook the woman's hand, _'Eh? Her aura…a half elf?' _"Is it okay if I register my um, niece into this school?"

"Niece? What happened to her parents? If I may ask?"

'_Uh…uh…make and excuse, MAKE AN EXCUSE!' _"…Her parents were killed in a desian raid, my husband and I found her before she was attacked." _'EEEEWWW! I can't believe I actually called him that!'_

"Oh, I see," Raine seemed downcast, _'If she knew…what would she think?'_

"So um, can I register her here?" Lilith asked, "I'm kind of in a hurry, and I'm sure Artemis is eager to meet the other students."

"Oh, of course, this way," Raine led Lilith to her desk, "Artemis why don't you go play with the other children? I think you might find someone that has a lot in common with you."

Artemis fidgeted.

"It's okay Arty," Lilith patted said girl's head, "If anyone asks about your eye, just politely tell them that…it's a secret, okay?"

"…okay…" Artemis mumbled and she went outside.

**Inside classroom**

"Something's wrong with her eye?" Raine asked.

Lilith nodded, "She's blind in her left eye, and she was afraid that the other kids might make fun of her because of it."

"I see, now about registering her, I'll need you to sign these papers."

'…_papers? NO! NOT PAPERS!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!' _"Okay, sure," Lilith said through gritted teeth.

"Are you alright?" Raine asked.

"Just fine!" Lilith replied, _'You are SO dead Advent.'_

**Outside**

Artemis looked around nervously, _'Where are all the other students?' _Then she spotted a young boy with spiky brown hair. He seemed to be alone; the boy sat in the shade of a tree and was drawing something in the dirt. Taking a deep breath, Artemis anxiously walked over and said, "Hello."

The boy flinched and looked up at Artemis, "Hi!" the boy said, perking up.

"Um," Artemis pulled at the hem of her shirt, "I-is it okay if I sit here?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I-I'm new here at the village and I d-don't r-really know anyone, and you were the first kid I saw so…" Artemis stuttered as she stared at the ground.

"Okay."

Artemis looked up, "Huh?"

"You can sit here, I was getting bored being by myself," the boy explained, "and I'm new here too."

"O-oh, um well, it's nice to meet you," Artemis held out her hand, "I'm Artemis Era, what's your name?"

"Lloyd Irving, it's nice to meet you too Artemis," Lloyd took her hand and shook it,

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"W-what?"

"How come your eye's covered?"

"U-um, it's a secret."

"Really? Now I really want to know," Lloyd looked closer at Artemis.

"U-uh, I-I don't like talking about it," Artemis mumbled.

"Come on, tell me please?" Lloyd was grinning.

"…just promise you won't make fun of me 'kay?" Artemis moved the hair covering her left eye and showed that it was clouded.

"Cool!" Lloyd exclaimed, "But what's wrong with it?"

"My aunt told me that it's blind."

"What's that?"

"I think it means that you can't see."

"So you can't see out of that eye?"

Artemis shook her head.

"How come you cover it?"

"Because people might make fun of me."

"Why would they make fun of you?"

"'cause I trip a lot and sometimes I can't tell if I'm going to bump into something or someone."

"That's a stupid reason," Lloyd huffed and crossed his arms, "Well, I'll never make fun of you, and I think that eye's pretty cool, you shouldn't hide it."

"Really?" Artemis had a small smile on her face.

"Yep!" then Lloyd blinked and pulled out the sides of Artemis's face.

"Ah!" Artemis was surprised.

"You should smile bigger, it's better than a small smile," Lloyd grinned, "Do this!" he let go of Artemis's cheeks. The young girl rubbed her face before trying to grin like Lloyd.

"L-like this?" Artemis grinned slightly.

"Bigger!"

"H-how about this?" Artemis's grin was almost identical to Lloyd's.

"Yeah! Like that!" Lloyd laughed.

"Hehe," Artemis smiled, but this time, it was big.

**End Chapter 4**

* * *

Author's Note: Aw, sibling fluff. And I probably didn't even have Lloyd in character. –sits in emo corner-

1: Think Lloyd's shoes when he was just a little kid.


	5. New Friends

Author's Note: Okay! Chapter 5! What's gonna happen? An OC romance? A hated pairing? Something else that annoys readers?! –brick'd- Ow…okay, fine, I'll stop stalling.

"talking"

'_thinking'_

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, except the plot.

* * *

Chapter 5

"_Why do you hate paperwork so much?"_

"_It's annoying and useless."_

"_It's supposed to help you organize things."_

"_Uh huh, sure."_

**Iselia Schoolhouse**

'_Ugh, damn you Advent, I can't believe you left me to do this, you know how much I hate paperwork,' _Lilith mused.

"And we just need to fill out this last form here and Artemis will be officially registered," Raine passed another form to Lilith.

'_FINALLY!' _Lilith filled out the paper and handed it back, "So, about the school hours…"

"Yes? What about them?" Raine asked as she was straightening the forms.

"How long is the school day? Artemis gets pretty nervous when she's surrounded by people that she doesn't know, it's almost a phobia."

"That fear is natural for children her age, and I'm sure she'll find a friend before the bell rings, there is a boy that almost had the same experience as Artemis."

"Really?" Lilith asked, "What's his name?"

"Lloyd."

'_HOLY CRAP! WHAT?!' _"Uh, who?"

"Lloyd, his caretaker, Dirk, had explained what happened to him, his parents were attacked by desians and his mother was barely conscious when she gave him to Dirk."

'_Lloyd…no way…it has to be a coincidence…' _"I see…that's terrible."

"Yes, but that's one of the reasons why I think they'll be good friends."

"Oh? You have other reasons?"

"Lloyd has a very compassionate and friendly personality, he's already become fast friends with my younger brother and the current Chosen, and with Artemis the way she is, Lloyd can't help but be drawn to her, if you don't mind me saying, solemn personality."

"I guess, Artemis _is_ the meek librarian type, it's that personality that just screams, "I want real friends too!"

Raine chuckled lightly, "You have quite the sense of humor Lilith."

"Eh, I try, it helped Artemis get more comfortable around me and her uncle, she's really shy."

"Lloyd will help her get out of her shell, don't worry," Raine reassured, "My brother was also just as shy as Artemis, and when he met Lloyd today, they hit it off right then."

'_He definitely got that from Anna' _Lilith smiled.

* * *

**Playground**

Lloyd was dragging Artemis around, looking for Genis.

"So, who's Genis again?" Artemis asked.

"He was the first friend I made when I got here," Lloyd explained.

"How come he wasn't with you when I met you?"

"He had to go do something for his sister. Oh! I almost forgot! Have you met Colette yet?"

Artemis shook her head.

"Well you gotta meet her, she's the nicest person you'll ever meet," Lloyd grinned.

Artemis grinned back, "I can't wait!"

After much arm pulling, Lloyd found Genis and Colette making flower crowns.

"Hey guys!" Lloyd called over his friends, "This is Artemis! She's new here and I wanted to introduce you guys!"

"H-hello…" Artemis stuttered, still feeling shy.

"Hi Artemis!" Colette greeted shaking her hand, "It's really nice to meet you! I'm Colette Brunel!"

"U-um, i-it's nice to m-meet y-you too," Artemis stammered.

Genis was next to shake Artemis's hand, "I'm Genis Sage, so, you're new here huh?"

"U-um, y-yes," Artemis mumbled.

"Come on Artemis! Stop being so shy, they won't bite! Well, at least Colette won't," Lloyd said.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Genis shouted indignantly.

"Nothing," Lloyd said innocently, "Hey Artemis! Show them your eye!"

"W-wha…?" Artemis blinked.

"Hm? Is something wrong with her eye?" Colette asked.

"U-uhhh…." Artemis tightened her grip on Lloyd's hand.

"Come on Artemis! We won't make fun of you!" Lloyd urged.

"…O-okay…" Artemis moved the hair covering her left eye.

"Wow…" Genis and Colette stared at the cloudy red eye.

"It looks so cool!" Genis shouted.

"Yeah, it's almost pretty in a way!" Colette chirped.

"Um, t-thank you…" Artemis blushed.

"See Artemis, we aren't going to make fun of you," Lloyd said, "We know you're a nice person, and you deserve to be happy."

"You do too Lloyd…" Artemis said.

"Hm?" Lloyd tilted his head.

"You're a nice person too, so you deserve to be happy," Artemis explained.

"Heh," Lloyd gave Artemis his signature dorky grin, "Thanks Artemis."

Artemis smiled back.

Lilith came out of the building looking a little tired, "Alright, I'm done for now."

Artemis immediately let go of Lloyd's hand and ran straight to Lilith, "Are you leaving now Aunt Lilith?"

"Yeah, sorry sweetie, but you have friends now right? They'll take care of you," Lilith patted her head, "remember that okay?"

Artemis nodded.

"That's my girl," Lilith ruffled Artemis's choppy auburn hair, "See ya later!"

"So who's she?" Lloyd asked.

"She's my aunt," Artemis answered shortly.

"What about your parents?"

"…I don't know where they are…" Artemis mumbled.

"O-oh, sorry, I didn't mean to…" Lloyd apologized.

"It's okay, you didn't know," Artemis reassured.

"But still…" Lloyd trailed.

"It's fine."

"So what about your uncle?" Genis asked.

"Aunt Lilith says that his job is really hard and it keeps him busy, so I don't see him a lot," Artemis replied.

"What does he do?" Colette inquired.

"Aunt Lilith said he's a mercenary," Artemis answered.

"What's a mercenary?" Lloyd tilted his head.

"Uh, Aunt Lilith said that a mercenary is like a swordsman who travels around a lot."

"So he travels?"

Artemis nodded, "That was all that Aunt Lilith told me."

"Traveling around the world…" Lloyd tilted his head.

_RING RING RING! _The bell had rung.

"Time to come inside everyone!" Raine was standing at the door.

All the kids had run inside and sat in their seats, except for Lloyd and Artemis. Raine had told them to stand in front so they could introduce themselves. When the other students noticed the two in front, the classroom was abuzz with gossip and chatter. Some boys were talking about the boy in red, and some rude girls were insulting Artemis' choice of clothing.

Raine clapped her hands together, "Alright everyone! Class has begun, please be quiet so our new students could introduce themselves," Raine turned to Lloyd and Artemis, "Which one of you would like to go first?"

Artemis was trembling, and Lloyd noticing her problem volunteered, "I'll go."

"Alright."

Lloyd stepped up, "Uh, hi, I'm Lloyd, um, I'm five and I like red…I guess that's it."

"Thank you Lloyd, now your seat is behind Colette's," Raine led Lloyd to his seat, "Artemis, it's your turn."

Artemis flinched, "………hi…I'm Artemis…I'm five years old……and, I don't really have much to say…"

"That's just fine Artemis, you can sit down, your seat is right next to Lloyd's."

Artemis nodded.

"Let's begin our lessons for the day," Raine picked up a piece of chalk and began writing on the board.

* * *

**Recess**

The students were let out and they immediately crowded around Lloyd and Artemis.

"So where are you guys from?" a boy asked.

"I don't really remember," Lloyd answered, and Artemis nodded to show that she didn't remember either.

"Really? That's weird!"

"Hey, Artemis," an older girl asked, "What's up with your clothes? They're so dark, what are you, goth?" The other girls, along with some of the other students laughed.

"I-I don't know what that is…" Artemis mumbled while fumbling with the hem of her shirt.

"And what about your hair? It makes you look like some shady character," Another girl said.

"Hey!" Lloyd started to get angry.

"U-um……" Artemis began to sweat nervously.

"Are you trying to hide something?" This statement seemed to pique some of the students' interest since they tried to move Artemis' bangs away from her eye.

"Ah, s-stop…!" Artemis dodged their advances.

"Come on guys, stop it!" Lloyd pushed the students out of the way and pulled him and Artemis to a spot away from the playground.

"-Huff- -huff-, looks like we got away," Lloyd grinned.

Artemis bit her lip.

"What's wrong?"

"Why were they making fun of me?" Artemis asked as she pulled her knees up to her chest.

"They were just being jerks," Lloyd replied, "Don't worry about it."

"Hey!" Genis was running to them with Colette following behind, "Are you guys okay? We saw you running and were wondering what happened."

"Some snooty girls in the class were making fun of her," Lloyd explained, his voice tinged with anger, "Just because she's different than most people are, they think they can just make fun of her!"

"It's okay Lloyd," Artemis said.

"But we can't just let them do that to you!" Lloyd shouted.

Artemis shook her head, "I don't want to cause anyone unneeded trouble."

"But Lloyd has a point Artemis," Colette explained, "If you don't do anything about it, then they'll keep bothering you!"

"Yeah! Maybe we should tell Raine about it," Genis said.

Artemis bit her bottom lip, "…I just don't want anyone to get angry…" she mumbled to herself.

**End Chapter 5**

* * *

Alkenet: Ah, another chapter!

Lilith: I'm actually surprised that people are actually reading this.

Advent: Aren't you nice Lilith.

Lilith: I know I am!

Alkenet: ...........

Advent: Don't worry Ms. Alkenet, you know Lilith only cares about Artemis and I.

Alkenet: Well, I did make her that way...

Advent: Please review while try to get Lilith to like the authoress, who is also her creator.

Lilith: Are you trying to imply that she's my mom?

Advent: No, I'm saying that you should be nicer, Ms. Alkenet could get rid of you at any given time.

Lilith: She'd never do that, she loves me too much!

Advent: Is that true?

Alkenet: Half-truth...


End file.
